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Future of Tutorials

I've got lots of ideas floating around in my head, and I often find it helpful to get feedback from everyone. People always come up with things I haven't thought of and often things become clearer with a little discussion. So...

There are a lot of tutorials here on Pixel Scrapper, and there will only be more in the future. We've been making due with the table of contents for easier browsing, but is there anything that would help more? (Possibly a more visual browsing page, has anyone seen a site with a good example?)

How do you use tutorials? Do you just look for one when you have a question, or have you just been working through them all?

I'm also in the loose stages of making some "classes" which will probably be a development of the tutorials. Personally, I like things that are SHORT and to the point. If it's longer than 5 minutes, I don't want to know. So with that in mind, I'll probably develop more tutorials similar to what I've been making, but that are related (everything about making digital paper, tips to better layouts, that's what I'm thinking to start with).

Please share any thoughts about what you'd like to see here, or what I've said.

So far I've just been browsing through the tuts. That may change when there is a search feature. My favorite are the kind you did showing where you made a layout (using a template). There was so much in that one that I need to rewatch it slowly and take notes.

I like best tuts that show making the actual page, with the teacher explaining her thought process as she works. They can be simple pages and still teach different aspects on each one. I'd love to see tutorials on putting together 8.5 X 11 layouts!

I love the format of your current tutorials. I too, like them short so you can watch them when you have a few minutes or to learn something quickly. I'm a newbie with PSE so for me it helps alot when you explain the basics as you go through. It would be extremely helpful to have a search feature. I have been working my way through them but do find it challenging to go back and find a specific one

I love the tips and tricks ones and definitely how to do different things, from start to finish!

I like the short tutorials. It makes it easier when there is something particular that I want to learn to do rather than skimming through an hour class... Which I could see the benefit of longer "classes" broken into chapters.

I work through one at a time...whenever I run across something I don't know how to do or am looking for a better way (or just different way) to do it. I do like short and I need photos. Not too keen on videos, because you have to stop and pause them to do what it says. Maybe both a photo/screen shot tutorial and video sample would be okay, then I could watch the video (time and resources allowing) and then follow the actual instructions.

I do think organizing the tuts in a class-style (beginner, advanced, expert, etc.) might be easier for users to find and get what they need, but that's just the trainer in me coming out!

At first I looked for specific tutorials, but have figured out that there are so many more things I can do that I never even thought of. So, now I am working my way though all of them.
I use GIMP, but Photoshop tutorials are still beneficial, even if I have to figure out the GIMP equivalent sometimes. I also think short and to the point is what I prefer. Photo tutorials are good, but videos help me to actually see what I need to be doing. I am a visual learner, so reading and seeing a photo doesn't help as much as actually seeing a person doing it in a video.
And I just want to say thank you for doing these tutorials! I have learned so much already!

Hey everyone! So, I just noticed that there are tutorials on this website...lol...guess I haven't browsed enough. I can say that I DO NOT LIKE having to scroll through a large number of posts in hopes of finding what I'm looking for. I think for browsing purposes, sorting by level like Tina said above would be great, then by whatever categories you have within each level. And possibly a hint in the title if it is program specific (i.e. PSE, GIMP, etc.).

When I'm looking for something specific though, a search option by keyword would be great. Along with perhaps a thumbnail of the finished product that each tutorial is teaching. I think a thumbnail is great because, for me, I don't always know what effects, styles, etc. are named/called specifically, so having a quick look at the finished product helps me see if that is what I'm looking for. Here's an example (scroll down to see the list of her most recent tutorials): http://www.sewcanshe.com/

As far as how I use the tutorials, I usually don't browse until I have something specific I'm looking for. Although, when I am doing that, I will stop and check out any others that strike my interest. Short and sweet works for me as well.

I agree with Tina for the most part however I like your idea already of starting everything off with Program Specifics: Elements, Photoshop, Gimp, Etc. and once we have a search button then I think all will be fantastic. I do like all of your tutorials and I especially like the combination of both Picture/Written and Video. You just do a wonderful job on both. I like to go through all but sometimes looking for something specific to PSE. Thanks again for all of your hard work in keeping this whole site together.

It looks like most of us are liking the short, sweet approach!
I've been amazed at how much helpful info you pack into each tut too...yet keep
them short and to the point! It's so much easier than going thru 20 ways you
'could' do something. You get 'er done!!!

OK...here's my 2 cents worth...LOL!

For the more intricate tuts, I like some that you did that had both a video and
screenshots of them. I've been keeping the tuts with the screenshots by
going to print and saving them as PDF's. I love having them handy when I'm learning
a new technique so I can have it open along with PS. They are easier for me to follow
than trying to keep pausing the video while working on a project.

My suggestion would be to have the PDF version available for download for anyone
not super familiar yet with how to create PDF's or do screenshots so they can follow along
with the tut while learning their programs.

I also like short quick tutorials. Usually, when I'm looking for a tutorial, all I want is to learn how to do one specific thing, and then get back to the project I was working on. If/when I have more time I can always go look for other tutorials on how to do something else. I think if there was a sticky post that has a list of tutorials we can browse through, and a link to the corresponding post for the actual tut would be great. That way, if someone asked a question on a specific tut, they would all be in the same forum post for that tut.
I usually like the videos better than a written tut, but sometimes in the video you go too fast or aren't specific about where to go (what menu item to click on etc) and for a new PS user, that can be frustrating at times. (I don't remember which tut it was, but I was trying to follow along, and you said "Go here" and I couldn't see where your mouse went, or figure out where "here" was, as you moved to quickly). I'm not complaining, I did figure it out, just wanted to point it out because if someone was brand new to the program, it would have been more difficult for them to see what you did. If the tuts were organized by beginner, intermediate or advanced, then it would be reasonable to assume that someone watching a more advanced tut, wouldn't need to have step by step on where to go to find something (a menu item) as they would be more familiar with the program by the time they were watching the advanced tutorials.
If you knew in advance that you were creating a tut for an absolute newbie vs someone more advanced, then you can tailor the video to that audience, vs just creating a tut for general consumption.

I do have to say that since I found this site, I have learned a lot more about PS than in all the years I have had the program trying to learn it on my own. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this site... it is amazing!!!

I look through them, and use them as I need, and seeing as I'm GIMP, things take me a little longer, but I can usually find my way around. I'm very much in the mid-level user of GIMP, so there are definitely some things I know, and some I don't, and some things I can figure out through trial and error. I like learning new things, but lack the time to do it as streamline as I would like. I lack experience in designing elements, and was hoping to do that this winter!

I usually search for a specific tutorial as the need arises. However going through them one by one seems a good idea - how do you know what you've missed! I use PSE 8 at the moment and tend to just look at those.

yes, short and to the point. Any more fluff and its hard to separate and digest what you really need to know. I prefer pics as opposed to video too, so I can spend longer studying those ones I need to and less studying the ones I understand. Videos are painful to stop, rewind, start and pause ...especially when you get distracted and cant find where you left off if you don't get to pause it lol

I like that your tutes are short and simple. I have watched other tutes that are quite lengthy with a lot of 'other' talk. I have learned so much from watching your tutorials. Thanks for sharing. A search button might be nice to have for tutorials but I do like the format you have for the beginners, intermediate, and advanced tutorials.

I love your short and to the point tutorials, that's what made me bookmark the 'old' PS site too I have worked through them all and watch new ones as they are posted. When I'm working on something I know I have seen here somewhere, it does take me a while to find it - even with the list! So thumbs of the actual tutorial would be great, seeing that my mind only makes a visual snapshot and discards the rest

Your tutorials are great. Short and to the point so you can follow along easily and remember what you have done .... that is so important. And they are so easy to find if you do forget and that is not an easy task. I know how much work goes into them so thank you for a great job.

I am new to digi so I am viewing lots of the tutorials. I would benefit from having them arranged in a class type order. I have seen this done on YouTube for college courses. Each topic has many parts with each part lasting a short time. You can watch them in order or jump to a specific topic of interest.

I love classes where you actually end up with a completed layout, which contains the different techniques that are being taught. By looking at a preview of the layout you can decide whether it might be worth your while or not, and it has the added bonus that you're ending up with a completed layout!